After a promising Week 2 win, the Ravens now set their sights on a much weaker – on paper – opponent: the Indianapolis Colts.
We know about the Ravens’ injuries, but the Colts are dealing with a bunch of big ones of their own. They won’t be taking the field with the lineup they expected in 2023 either.
#Colts QB Anthony Richardson (concussion), C Ryan Kelly (concussion), LG Quenton Nelson (toe) and CB Kenny Moore II (knee) are not practicing today.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 21, 2023
This was supposed to be the week a new young, athletic quarterback would try to defeat Lamar Jackson; unfortunately, that won’t be the case. Even outside Richardson, some massive names are on that list, especially Kenny Moore, their best corner.
Even then, not having Kelly and Nelson against a great defense might cause some nightmares for the Colts.
So, in this situation, it is time for those boys in the front of the defense to step up.
2nd DNP for Kelly and Nelson.
Nelson still has a shot but Kelly has to clear protocol and that gets less likely everyday.
Those 2 are a damn good C-LG duo. With Travis jones and Michael Pierce looking potent in the first 2 weeks could be a heck of a mismatch#RavensFlock https://t.co/150yAtOvFw
— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) September 21, 2023
The Ravens should generate a lot of pressure up the middle, and Colts should struggle to run the ball if those key pieces can’t go on Sunday. Especially in a game that is supposed to have bad weather, the more it sounds like a game the Ravens should dominate.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Ravens game without some crushing injuries for them as well.
Seven Ravens were not practicing today: RB Justice Hill (toe); WR Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle); LT Ronnie Stanley (knee); C Tyler Linderbaum (ankle); OLB Odafe Oweh (ankle); CB Marlon Humphrey (foot); S Marcus Williams (pec).
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 21, 2023
Now, some of these are to be expected, but there was hope for some of these guys to practice this week even if they won’t play. People will freak out about the o-line, but seeing those guys handle their business like they did against the Bengals has given me hope that they can also handle this.
It is also possible that the Ravens are doing something else with these players, holding them out on purpose.
Not to take anyone lightly but if there’s a week where the Ravens should rest players it’s when you’re playing the Colts who also have a laundry list of injuries.
Not to mention you have two division games back to back after this week.
— RAMEY (@HoodieRamey) September 21, 2023
This isn’t about how bad or good the Colts are, but look how much tougher the schedule gets after this game. This team wants to go deep into January, and avoiding as many injuries as possible is the key. While others are different, it is possible that guys like OBJ, Ronnie, and Linderbaum are being held back because they aren’t needed with the amount of depth the team has right now. They could legitimately be injured, but it also could be a part of what the Ravens want to do going forward: don’t rush anyone back. It bit them in the butt in 2021 with Stanley, and it hurt them again with Rashod Bateman and JK Dobbins last year.
The Ravens can beat the Colts even with these injuries, so it doesn’t make sense for these guys to rush back.
One of the things helping this is others on the team stepping up, and no player has stepped up more than Morgan Moses.
Morgan Moses love 🔥 .
Easily one of the most underrated players in the NFL because he started the first 6 years of his career as an average player and third round pick, but Moses has continued to get better since and is a Top 5 Right Tackle in the NFL!!! https://t.co/oS19ZsgUjG
— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) September 21, 2023
One of my hot takes about the season was that Daniel Faalele would take over as Moses would struggle in a new offense that asks him to get on the move and be athletic. That take looks like the spoiled milk in my fridge that I am too lazy to throw out. Moses has been terrific this year and is the team’s best lineman so far. He is an underrated piece of the team that deserves more respect from the fans.
If the Ravens are going to beat the Colts, they will need to beat them in the trenches in a game where the weather might be awful, with a ton of rain coming.
